In the News

"The law, enacted last year, grants limited immunity to those who call 911 to report a drug overdose. By reducing fear of prosecution as one of the barriers, it’s hoped that overdose victims will receive treatment more quickly and improve their chances of survival."

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars not spent housing the participants in jails or prisons. Dozens of participants working and paying taxes who would otherwise be locked up. Child protection cases closed and child support paid. Driving privileges restored. Days, months and years of sobriety."

"Hvinden drank to cope with his anxiety. He said veterans court helped him become sober, connected him with transitional housing that eventually led to him finding his own apartment, and encouraged him to do more with his life."

"Although deaths involving heroin have increased in all regions of the country, the greatest increase has been in the Midwest, which experienced an 11-fold jump in heroin-related overdose deaths between 2000 and 2013, according to an earlier CDC report."

"Now that the Affordable Care Act includes substance use disorder treatment as an essential healthcare benefit, addiction is being acknowledged as a brain disorder, not a moral failing. Just as with HIV-AIDS and breast cancer in previous decades, addiction is abandoning the shadow of shame and stepping into the light."

"A national two-year study released Wednesday showed that in nearly all nine of the DWI courts evaluated, the rearrest rates for graduates of the intensive program dropped dramatically compared with offenders who went through the traditional court process."

"Going to college can be especially stressful for young people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. With a well-earned reputation for un-monitored partying, life on college or university campuses can feel like a minefield for a newly sober student."

"Each drug court takes a team approach, with all players at the table – a judge, a prosecutor, a public defender, a law-enforcement official, probation officers, chemical dependency experts, and community volunteers. Traditional adversaries in the courtroom now become advocates – all pulling in the same direction."